WO2013120810A1

WO2013120810A1 - Conveying system for material samples, especially medical samples

Info

Publication number: WO2013120810A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/052703
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Hecht
Original assignee: Glp Systems Gmbh
Priority date: 2012-02-15
Filing date: 2013-02-11
Publication date: 2013-08-22
Also published as: JP6113195B2; US9182419B2; ES2559619T3; EP2629099A1; US20150034461A1; EP2629099B1; JP2015508891A

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying system for material samples, especially medical samples, comprising a conveyor track (2) forming at least one conveying section and at least one self-propelled sample holder (5) which can be displaced along the conveying section and is designed to hold a sample vessel. Said sample holder (5) comprises a drive motor, an energy accumulator for supplying the drive motor with driving energy and a friction wheel (8), drivable by the drive motor, for transmitting a driving force onto the conveyor track (2), said conveyor track (2) having at least one guide structure (3) to form the conveying section. The aim of the invention is to improve said conveying system such that, while the sample holders have a simple and sturdy design, the conveying system allows reliable and rapid passage of the conveying section also in the area of bends and points while at the same time safely guiding the sample holders and guaranteeing route fidelity. For this purpose, the sample holder (5) has exactly one wheel on a lower side (7) facing the conveying track (2) in operation, which wheel is the friction wheel (8) that can be driven by the drive motor; the sample holder (5), on its lower side (7), further has at least two sliding elements (12) which rest on the conveying track (2) in operation and slide along its surface, the at least two sliding elements (12) and the wheel (8) lying on the vertices of a triangle; and the sample holder (5), on its lower side, has a guide element (10) for cooperation with the guide structure (3) in the conveyor track (2) to guide the sample holder (5) along the conveying section.

Description

Conveyor system for material samples, in particular medical samples

Technisches GebietTechnical area

The invention relates to a conveyor system for material samples, in particular medical samples according to the preamble of claim 1.

Stand der TechnikState of the art

In the field of analysis of material samples, it is often necessary to analyze and enforce a large number of samples in comparatively short time periods. This is especially true in the field of medical samples, such as body fluid samples, which are being studied in high-level medical analysis laboratories. The laboratory receives for the investigation of a single sample comparatively low accounting contributions, which is why cost-efficiency reasons and general reasons of economic efficiency in this area requires a highly automated treatment and processing of medical samples and is already carried out today.

It is customary for individual samples to be transported in a laboratory system along a conveyor track and to be transported to the analytical apparatuses provided for their processing and arranged on the conveyor track. In this case, the individual medical samples located in the conveyor track and arranged on the conveyor track to move the sample holders may well be subjected to different analyzes, be it just such an analysis or possibly even successively different examinations. Conceivable analyzes in respectively different analyzers can e.g. in a blood sample, the examination of the hemoglobin value (HB value), a cholesterol content, the content of uric acid or other medically relevant parameters. For example, urine samples can be tested for their pH, red blood cell content, or overall protein content.

For a corresponding promotion of sample holders holding sample containers with sample holders conveyor systems have long been known which have conveyor tracks and therein to be transported sample holder. Thus, there are such systems with "passive" sample holders, which are moved without their own drive options by means arranged in the conveyor conveyor lines, in particular conveyor belts or belts in the conveyor track. Examples of such solutions are disclosed in DE 44 34 714 A1 and EP 2 074 431 B1.

In such conveyor systems, in which the drive technology is arranged in the conveyor tracks, however, there is the problem that in case of failure of the drive usually the entire laboratory system is stationary and can not be used until successful maintenance or repair of the conveyor track and its drive system. Such a stoppage of the entire laboratory, not least due to the high throughput rates to be maintained for the efficiency of the laboratory operation, means considerable economic damage.

To avoid this damage, alternative design options, in which the drive technology is not located in the conveyor track itself, but rather in the sample holders, which are self-propelled. An example of such a solution of a conveyor system is shown in US 6,429,016 B1. There are self-propelled, three- or four-wheeled sample holder robot disclosed that can be moved via steerable wheels along conveyor lines in the conveyor track to a respective destination. The sample holder robots shown there are each designed to receive a plurality of sample containers.

Another example of a conveyor system with self-propelled sample holders along a conveyor line is disclosed in US 2005/0271555 A1. There sample holders are shown, which can move with at least two wheels sitting on a rigid, driven axle. The sample holders shown are provided with a circular base and move in U-shaped, tunnel-like, open-topped tracks, the side walls at the same time give a guide for the sample holder. The sample holders disclosed in US 2005/0271555 A1 are each designed to receive a single, tube-shaped sample container.

Although with the disclosed in the last-mentioned publications US 6,429,016 B1 and US 2005/0271555 A1 conveyor systems by the displacement of the drive in the sample holder itself the problem of a long downtime of the entire conveyor system and thus a laboratory system in case of failure of the drive can be overcome - here If, instead, a sample holder with a defective drive can simply be removed and replaced by a sample holder with a functioning drive, there are still disadvantages and shortcomings in the systems described above which the invention has to overcome:

Thus, the self-propelled sample holders shown in US Pat. No. 6,429,016 B1 are very complex with regard to their mechanics and have a filigree structure with their own steering. This complex and complicated construction makes the individual sample holders, of which a large variety can be used in a laboratory operation, expensive to purchase and at the same time susceptible to interference.

In the case of the self-propelled sample holders shown in US 2005/0271555 A1, the mechanical structure of the sample holders is considerably simpler compared to those known from the aforementioned document US Pat. No. 6,429,016 B1 and consequently the individual sample holders are less expensive to produce and more robust, but problems also arise here. On the one hand, the conveyor track itself is complicated and costly to manufacture due to the requirement of its U-shaped profile with regard to the use of material. Also, in this track, the individual sample holders are not easily accessible, depending on the density of the traffic in the conveyor track, it may prove to be complicated to remove one of the sample holder specifically from the conveyor track.

Another problem arises in terms of the drive and steerability. The sample holder according to this document is equipped without a steerable axle, but a change in direction is achieved by a steering through the side walls of the web in the manner of a gang. In curve or switch areas, the sample holder moves with a circular average against a wall of the guideway or in the course of the track swung Weichenstellwand and runs in this area as long against the wall or the Weichenstellwand until successively the rigid drive axis perpendicular to the new direction has aligned and the sample holder can pick up speed again. This results in significantly slower travel times in areas of bends and switches, thereby slowing down overall processing speed in the system.

Darstellung der ErfindungPresentation of the invention

To remedy this situation is, as already mentioned, object of the present invention. With the invention, therefore, a conveyor system for material samples, especially medical samples according to the prior art with self-propelled sample holders to be further developed so that at both simple and robust sample holders a reliable and speedy passage of the conveyor line in the range of curves and switches is possible with secure leadership and track loyalty.

This object is achieved by a conveyor system for material samples, in particular medical samples having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous further developments of such a conveyor system are specified in claims 2 to 10, which are each based at least on claim 1.

According to the invention, the conveyor system for material samples, in particular medical samples, has a conveyor track which forms at least one conveyor line. Furthermore, the system contains at least one self-propelled sample holder that can be moved along the conveyor line and that is designed to receive a sample container. This sample holder has a drive motor, an energy store for supplying the drive motor with drive energy, and a friction wheel drivable by the drive motor for transmitting a drive force to the conveyor track. The conveyor track has at least one guide structure for the formation of the conveyor track. In the aforementioned features, the conveyor system according to the invention is consistent with those of the prior art. What is new and characteristic of the invention in the conveyor system according to the invention is that the sample holder has exactly and only one wheel on a underside facing the conveyor track during operation. This is the frictional wheel drivable by the drive motor. In addition, the sample holder has on the underside at least two sliding elements, which lie in operation on the conveyor track and slide along the surface thereof. The wheel and the at least two sliding elements lie on the end points of a triangle and thus give the sample holder safe stability, so that it can move without overturning along the conveying path on the conveyor track. The guide along the conveying path is accomplished by means of a arranged on the underside of the sample holder guide element, which cooperates with the guide structure in the conveyor track. This combination of guide element and guide structure causes the directional specification for the self-propelled sample holder with respect to the direction along which it follows the conveyor line. In other words, the sample holder is guided by this interaction of the guide structure and guide element passively on the conveyor track.

The realization of the guidance of the sample holder along the conveying path by the interaction of the arranged on the underside of the sample holder guide element and the guide structure in the conveyor path allows the sample holder in its drive comparatively simple and inexpensive to design, since no mechanical or control technology means for active steering the sample holder are provided. Furthermore, the reduction of the number of wheels to a single wheel, namely the frictional wheel drivable by the drive motor, requires a further simplification. Particularly in the case of fast journeys in curves or branches, there is always the problem with pairs of wheels arranged along one axis that the wheels running on different curve radii have to turn at different speeds. If there are no possibilities for such a different rotational speed of individual wheels of an axle (for example by complicated to be controlled individual wheel drives or by differentials to the respective wheels), so tends the sample holder, which is equipped with a corresponding two-wheeled axle, in cornering or branching, the to pass through, to break out of the conveyor line or even to tilt.

The measure of providing only a single wheel designed as a friction wheel and connected to the drive, therefore, in connection with the directional guidance by guide element and guide structure, allows the sample holders to pass corresponding curves or branches at comparatively increased speed in the conveyor system according to the invention such as in the prior art according to US 2005/0271555 A1 is the case. However, this means that the throughput in a conveyor system according to the invention can be increased overall, or greater freedom in the design of the conveyor paths along the conveyor path results.

In order to give the specimen holder the stability required for the propulsion, at least two sliding elements are arranged on its underside, which form further supporting points in addition to the support point of the friction wheel. The stability is achieved by the triangular arrangement between the at least two sliding elements and the wheel. The sliding elements should be selected so that they cause a low friction. For this purpose, appropriate materials are to be selected, in particular those with respect to the material of the conveyor track low sliding friction, for example, such a plastic. Here are plastics such as Teflon or comparable low-friction plastics into consideration. In addition, the size of the sliding elements is to be kept correspondingly low, these may be formed, for example, as a sphere sections, resulting in almost punctiform supports on the conveyor track.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the wheel has a rigid and non-steerable axle. Although it is basically possible to associate the wheel with a passively steered axle which tracks the steering movements as they are transmitted to the sample holder through the cooperation between the guide element and guide structure, a rigid and non-steerable axle is clear in its construction and mechanics simpler and more robust, resulting in simpler, cheaper to produce and also more durable and robust sample holders.

Advantageously, the wheel is arranged with its longitudinal extent along a central axis of the sample holder. The axis of rotation of the wheel then runs substantially perpendicular to the central axis. An arrangement on the center axis of the sample holder in the manner mentioned is advantageous, since thus both for viewed in the direction of travel right curves and branches as well as for those who have seen in the direction of travel to the left, similar driving characteristics can be achieved. Such an arrangement also reduces the overturning moments that occur during cornering or when driving through branches and that are to be intercepted by the sliding elements.

Particularly favorable steering properties when driving off the conveyor line arise when the guide element lies on a line along the longitudinal extent of the wheel. The guide element thus lies so starting from the wheel along a direction in which this rolls. Thereby, the applied steering torque can be easily transmitted to the wheel, since this can be largely rotated about an axis extending perpendicularly through the wheel, without causing or require a lateral offset or a lateral displacement of the sample holder.

The self-propelled sample holder in a conveyor system according to the invention behaves particularly favorably when the wheel is located on a first side of this projection starting from a position of the center of gravity of the sample holder and the guide element lies on a second, opposite side of the projection. Such an arrangement results in a particularly stable driving behavior and leadership behavior of the self-propelled sample holder along the conveyor line in curves and branches.

A preferred embodiment of the guide structure and guide element is that the guide structure is a guide groove extending transversely to the surfaces of the guide track in the depth thereof and that the guide element is formed by a guide pin which is arranged on the underside of the sample holder and protrudes therefrom. The guide pin is guided laterally in the guide groove and can slide along this groove along the longitudinal direction. The course of the guide groove then specifies the direction for the movement of the sample holder. In particular, the guide pin has a circular cross section so that it can easily understand the rotational movements of the sample holder relative to the guide groove in cornering or branching. It is preferred that when inserted into the conveyor track sample holder of the guide pin does not reach into the groove bottom of the guide groove, so as not to generate additional friction. However, it may also be intended to rest the guide pin on the groove base, if this also represents one of the sliding elements. However, then it must be ensured that a correspondingly low friction is formed between the groove bottom and the distal tip of the guide pin.

In principle, the sample holder can take any shape which is suitable for the purposes of the respective conveyor system in the specific embodiment. However, it is currently preferred that the sample holder has a substantially rectangular base area. Such has proven to be particularly easy to implement in the production and implementation and at the same time as practical in terms of the possible arrangement of the essential elements wheel, sliding elements and guide element on the underside of the sample holder. It is particularly advantageous if the rectangular base of the sample holder has beveled on the front side seen in the forward direction of travel corners. These chamfers serve in particular the arrangement of laterally acting sensors with which lateral areas can be monitored during forward travel for collision avoidance.

The conveyor system according to the invention contains in particular such a sample holder, which is designed to receive a single, in particular tube-shaped, sample vessel and has a corresponding receptacle.

In principle, the conveyor system according to the invention may consist of a conveyor track and only a single self-propelled sample holder. In practice, however, a large number of such sample holders will be used in the conveyor track to transfer large quantities of samples in the conveyor system to the respective destination and to enable automated processing.

Kurze Beschreibung der ZeichnungenBrief description of the drawings

Further advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. Showing:

1 is a schematic plan view of a possible embodiment of a conveyor system according to the invention with the conveyor track, conveyor lines formed in the conveyor track and sample holders therein;

2 is a perspective view obliquely from below of a sample holder of the conveyor system according to the invention.

3 shows a longitudinal section through the sample holder according to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a view of the sample holder according to FIG. 2 from below; FIG. and

Fig. 5 is a side view of a mounted on the conveyor sample holder.

Weg(e) zur Ausführung der ErfindungWay (s) for carrying out the invention

In the figures, various views of the essential components of a conveyor system according to the invention in a possible embodiment are shown in a schematic representation. The figures are not complete in the representation of all details, are limited in the disclosure of the essential elements of the invention. The figures are also schematic for the explanation of the essential elements here and do not necessarily reflect the configurations that may have to be selected for a practical implementation in large-scale operation.

In Fig. 1, a possible design variant of a conveyor system 1 is shown in a schematic perspective view. The conveyor system 1 includes a conveyor track 2. In the conveyor track 2 guide grooves 3 are recessed in the depth of the conveyor track 2 and transversely to the surface thereof, wherein the guide grooves 3 defining conveyor paths with their progressions. In this case, the guide grooves 3 at branches 4, where switches are arranged, branched and interconnected in various configurations, so that depending on the interconnection of the switches different conveyor lines can be formed or switched by interconnection of different courses of the guide grooves 3.

On the conveyor track 2 a total of three self-propelled sample holder 5 are arranged in different sections. These can move self-propelled along the conveyor track in the manner described in more detail below.

A sample holder 5 is shown in more detail in Figures 2 to 4 and shown in its details. The sample holder 5 has a base body 6 with a substantially rectangular base (see Fig. 4). On an underside 7 of the base body 6 of the sample holder 5, a housing formed by the base body 6 is broken by a friction wheel 8. The friction wheel 8 is arranged (see Fig. 4) in its longitudinal extent along a central axis 9 of the sample holder 5. It is based on a projection of a center of gravity of the sample holder 5 on a first side shown on the right in FIG. 4. Opposite the friction wheel 8 is a vertically extending from the bottom 7 downwardly extending guide pin 10, which is also located on the central axis 9 and so far aligned with the longitudinal extent of the friction wheel 8. As can be seen in Fig. 4, the guide pin 10 is located on one of the position of the friction wheel 8 diametrically opposite side of the projection of the center of gravity, which is located between these two elements (not shown in Fig. 4). On both sides of the guide pin 10, two sliding elements 12 are arranged along a line 11 extending substantially perpendicular to the central axis 9, which project from the underside 7. These sliding elements 12 are made of a material which has a low sliding friction with respect to the material of the surface of the guide track 2, e.g. made of a corresponding plastic such as Teflon.

On the underside 7 opposite top of the sample holder 5 is a receptacle for a single sample vessel, in particular a tube-shaped sample vessel formed by holding fingers 13. Between the holding fingers 13, a tube-shaped sample vessel can be introduced up to the bottom of a dish-shaped receptacle 14.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, an accumulator 15 is arranged in the interior of the base 6 of the sample holder 5. This feeds the drive motor (not shown in FIG. 3), by means of which the friction wheel 8 can be brought into rotation, for the drive of the sample holder 5 with energy and also supplies further electrical consumers, which are arranged on the sample holder 5, e.g. Distance sensors 17, which serve a collision warning monitoring.

The friction wheel 8 is provided along its circumference with a friction lining 18, which serves to transmit power of the driving force to the surface of the conveyor track 2, so as to provide for the propulsion of the sample holder 5. In this case, the friction wheel 8 rotates about an axis 16, which is a rigid and non-steerable axis.

Finally, it can be seen in FIG. 4 that the sliding elements (here their center points) and the friction wheel (here its center) lie on the corner points of a triangle (the dotted lines are drawn here), this triangle being here an isosceles triangle. The sliding elements 12 are maximally set in the outer corners opposite the friction wheel 8, so as to give the widest possible extended support and high stability of the sample holder 5 resting on the conveyor belt 2 on the friction wheel 8 and the two sliding elements 12 during operation.

Finally, it can be seen in FIG. 5 how the sample holder 5 is seated on the conveyor track 2 during operation, wherein the guide pin 10 projects into the guide groove 3 and guides the self-propelled sample holder 5 along the conveyor line. The guide pin 10 does not protrude to the bottom of the guide groove 3, but is exposed with its distal end. Thus, the sample holder 5 rests only at three contact points on the conveyor track 2, namely the two sliding elements 12 and the friction wheel 8. The friction wheel 8 runs in a straight ahead because of the aligned alignment with the guide pin 10 on the guide groove 3, which is why it is wider is as the width of the guide groove 3, so that it projects beyond the guide groove 3 to the edges sufficiently to form a stable support and at the same time to be able to transmit sufficient driving force to the surface of the guideway 2 can.

In normal forward travel of the sample holder 5, the friction wheel 8 mounted in the rear in this direction pushes the body 6 of the sample holder 5 in the forward direction, wherein the front end of the sample holder 5 rests on the sliding elements 12 and slides over them in the conveyor track 2. If the sample holder 5 now reaches the region of a branch or a curve, then the guide pin 10 follows the corresponding direction of the guide groove 3 and thus takes with it the front end of the sample holder 5. This generates a rotational movement about which the sample holder 5 is rotated on the support point of the friction wheel 8. Due to the fact that only one wheel, the friction wheel 8, is present on the sample holder 5, problems do not arise here due to transverse forces caused by different path lengths of a wheel running on the outside or inside of the curve of an axle. Accordingly, no extensive technical measures are required here to decouple such wheels of an axle in terms of their rotational speeds and there are no problems, as they may occur in rigid mounted on an axle wheels, especially with respect to a reduced speed when driving through bends or branches. These can be traversed in the conveyor system according to the invention of the sample holders 5 formed as described with only one wheel at a significantly higher speed, which leads to an overall increased throughput in the conveyor track 2. Thus, more sample holders 5 and thus samples can be enforced in a conveyor track 2 either per unit time or it can be dispensed with a larger throughput capacity with a larger variety of waiting positions and storage areas for the conveyor track 2, the railway system are made more compact and smaller.

Of course, the shown and inventive self-propelled sample holder 5 in the reverse direction, ie "backwards" drive, so that the friction wheel 8 then the base body 6 and thus the sample holder 5 pulls.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
1 conveyor system
2 conveyor track
3 guide groove
4 branch
5 sample holders
6 base bodies
7 bottom
8 friction wheel
9 central axis
10 guide pin
11 line
12 sliding element
13 holding fingers
14 recording
15 battery
16 axis
17 distance sensor
18 friction lining

Claims

Conveyor system for material samples, in particular medical samples, having a conveyor track (2) forming at least one conveyor track and having at least one self-propelled sample holder (5) which can be moved along the conveyor line, which sample holder (5) is a drive motor, an energy store ( 15) for supplying the drive motor with drive energy and a drive wheel driven by the drive motor (8) for transmitting a driving force to the conveyor track (2), wherein the conveyor track (2) for forming the conveying path has at least one guide structure (3), characterized in that the sample holder (5) has exactly one wheel on a underside (7) facing the conveyor track (2), which is the friction wheel (8) drivable by the drive motor, that the sample holder (5) on the underside (7). Furthermore, at least two sliding elements (12), which in operation on the conveyor track (2 ) and slide along the surface thereof, the at least two sliding elements (12) and the wheel (8) lying on the end points of a triangle, and that the sample holder (5) on its underside a guide element (10) for cooperation with the guide structure (3) in the conveyor track (2) for guiding the sample holder (5) along the conveying path.
Conveyor system according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel (8) has a rigid and non-steerable axle (16).
Conveying system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wheel (8) with its longitudinal extent along a central axis (9) of the sample holder (5) is arranged.
Conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide element (10) lies on a line along the longitudinal extent of the wheel (8).
Conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wheel (8), starting from a projection of the center of gravity of the sample holder (5) on its underside (7) on a first side of this projection and that the guide element (10) on a second , opposite side of this projection is located.
Conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a guide groove (3) formed in the guide track (2) and extending transversely to the surface thereof in its depth, and a guide pin projecting from the underside of the sample holder (5) Guide element (10).
Conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by sliding elements (12) made of a material with a low sliding friction, in particular such a plastic, relative to the material of the conveyor track (2).
Conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sample holder (5) has a substantially rectangular base.
Conveyor system according to claim 7, characterized in that the sample holder (5) has a rectangular base surface with beveled at its front end in the forward direction of travel seen corners.
Conveying system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sample holder (5) has a receptacle (13, 14) for a single, in particular tube-shaped, sample vessel.